3. Andy Serkis as Caesar in 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'

Andy Serkis first wowed audiences almost a decade ago with his performance as Gollum in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy; his innovative performance inside a motion-capture suit created the first computer-generated character that truly felt like a living breathing creature. With this summer's hit 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes,' he was given a platform that allowed him to take center stage. His thoroughly-realistic portrayal of an ape granted with super-intelligence took what could have been a cheap remake of a beloved sci-fi classic and turned it into an thrilling Darwinian adventure. For once, the humans had to play second banana to the monkey (apologies for the awful pun).